#readwithLLM: Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman

Hiya, bookish friends! Welcome to the #readwithLLM discussion post for Before We Were Innocent* by Ella Berman. This was a book club pick for Reese’s Book Club, so I was curious to see if it was worth the hype. I’m going to be honest…this wasn’t my favorite read of the year so far, but I think it definitely lends itself to some great discussion. 

Here's what I envision with these posts. I've come up with a few questions that I would love your thoughts on, but I also want to open up the comments for any questions or thoughts you have. I do reserve the right to remove any comments that are offensive or hateful, because my goal is to foster a community of readers here, where folks are encouraged to share their thoughts and literary experiences. 

So, without further ado, here are my questions and curiosities:

1. Does this pull from the Amanda Knox case? (If yes - what are the ethics of that?)

2. What does the title mean to you?

3. Many of the Reese’s Book Club picks get some sort of screen adaptation. Would this make a good movie/TV show? Why or why not?

4. Media often (sometimes intentionally, other times unintentionally) demonizes LGBTQ+ characters. Does this book do that with Joni?

5. Was the ending satisfying to you? Why or why not? 

6. Did you like the book? Why or why not?

7. Do you think you will read other books by Berman? 

*This post contains affiliate links. If you make purchases after using these links, I will earn a percentage of your purchase without any further cost to you.